Understanding why
by YellowSign
Summary: A terrible thing happens to Weiss, and her team must help her through it. But as they investigate further they find things about each other that should have remained hidden.
1. Chapter 1

RWBY FanFic 2

**AN: Here's another thing I wrote, only got one chapter written thus far because that's how I roll, but if you guys like it I can do more. Please note that this is not a happy fic; it's labelled Angst for a reason. If you still want to read, grand. If not, I'm sure there are many other good ones out there. Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 1

Weiss just looked at the cracked and burnt ground; face contorted into a mix of confusion, pain and relief. No tears fell yet, but in due time she knew they would. The view changed slightly and she realised she was walking. Here and there the sandstone pebbles shone through the charred mess where someone had kicked them aside, and she found herself unable to look at the three darker patches of ground. Those where were the police had moved the bodies.

With an effort, she looked up at the now ruined mansion she once called home. Several streams of smoke lazily climbed over the broken walls, evidence of the small fires still raging within. At some point whilst she was staring at the ground the roof had collapsed, the colossal lead structure dragging down some of the weakened walls with it. A handful of windows remained intact, but the soot and grime coating the inside of them mercifully obscured the view of the rest of the house.

Weiss felt Goosebumps rise on her arms as a breeze drifted towards her, robbing her of the warmth she had previously felt. She tried to pretend that the gust of wind hadn't come from where the majestic oak door once stood, a shield between the Schnee family and those who would do them harm. Said door now lay broken on the ground, scorch marks evidence of the flames that had danced their hungry dance throughout the house. A crunching underfoot caused Weiss to look downwards and she immediately regretted doing so.

A hand. A single human hand, burnt mainly to the bone but with enough crisped flesh left to be recognisable. Had she been thinking clearly Weiss may have been able to identify who the hand had previously belonged to, but she was still in a daze from that phone call. That dreadful, dreadful phone call.

"Hello, is that Miss Schnee?" the unfamiliar voice drifting through her scroll sounded tired but authorative, and Weiss didn't hesitate to respond.

"Yes it is, to whom am I speaking please?" she replied, the manner and tone with which she did indicating that this was routine for her.

"My name is Detective Inspector Anderson. I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you Miss Schnee, you may want to prepare yourself," so saying he paused for a few seconds to give her time to adjust before continuing, "I'm sorry to inform you that there has been a fire at the Schnee mansion. We arrived as fast as we could but sadly there were no survivors. Going on the evidence we have thus far, we believe this to be the work of terrorists."

The policeman had said many other things, but Weiss took none of them in. She merely hung up and stared ahead. So many emotions were running through her at that moment and so broken was she that any one of them could have surfaced and overcome her. Instead she continued to stare; only realising later that she was sat in a car, a chauffeur-driven car that seemed familiar somehow. Normally she would have identified which car and which chauffeur, but today she could barely process the sights bombarding her brain.

When she had arrived at the mansion, one of the mighty iron-wrought gates lying shattered on the ground, she could only stare at the remains of her home for a brief second before she cast her gaze downwards towards her shoes, keeping it there for a long, long while.

Weiss didn't register getting out of the car, but she must have done so at some point for her to follow the curving sandstone path that led from the gates to the front door. About twenty metres out, the regular yellow of the sandstone was replaced by a dull black from the soot and the smoke and the fire, the fire that had robbed her of her family.

A few members of the police and a single fire engine were parked outside the ruined building, one of them setting up some inspection tape, another taking photos and the majority tasked with the grisly job of removing the many corpses from the scene. Having not been home for over six months, Weiss couldn't remember which members of staff would have been working that night, but she knew for certain that both her parents would have been in. Her father's butler would have been manning his station, and despite there only being two permanent residents, the number of staff would have been in the teens.

An elderly policeman had walked over to her during her thought processes, and was stood in front of her, waiting for her attention. When he sensed that she had noticed him he cleared his throat and began talking, "I am so deeply sorry you had to see this Miss Schnee. My name is Anderson; I was the one who rang you earlier. Come, let's walk." So saying he gently led Weiss to a stone bench situated a bit away from the house, and deliberately facing in the other direction.

"Now Miss Schnee, we can allow you into some parts of the house with an escort if you want to retrieve some personal items, but I must inform you that most items are severely damaged," Weiss didn't realise she had shaken her head but she must have done going by his reaction, "I see. I am sorry to tell you that we have positive ID's on the three bodies we found outside. One of them was your father's gentleman's gentleman, one of them was a cook and one of them was your mother."

Weiss just looked down and nodded numbly, slowly processing what had happened. Her mother had died, probably burned to death along with the rest of the staff. Her father had, wait, what about her father? There had been no sign of him, maybe he had made it! But as Weiss looked at Anderson with a glimmer of hope in her deep blue eyes, his reaction crushed that hope. "We found your father earlier. I won't stop you but I seriously suggest against seeing him. They… tortured him, tortured him badly. And when they were done…" he trailed off, not needing to finish that sentence. When they were done with him they executed him.

Making a decision for the first time in a while, Weiss pulled herself up off the bench and turned towards where her father's body had been found. As she did so she glimpsed at the mansion and visibly cringed: it still hurt her inside to look at it. Following the young girl, Anderson held open a gate for her and followed her through, maintaining a respectful amount of silence for the dead family. Motioning to a white forensics tent, Anderson put his hand on Weiss' shoulder at the entrance to reassure her. Holding open one of the flaps, he watched as Weiss took one look at the mess that was her father and fainted. Expecting this reaction he gently caught her and carried her outside and back towards the car waiting for her, waiting to take her away from this terrible place.

The rest of Team RWBY were understandably alarmed when they opened the door and were greeted by the sight of a servant carrying an unconscious Weiss in his arms, but before they could question him he approached the nearest bed and gently placed the young girl down. He rapidly began to talk when a cocked Ember Celica was pointed at his head, and he hurriedly explained the whole affair, taking care to avoid going into too much detail. Once he had finished his macabre tale he bid the team farewell, pausing only to ask them to care for Weiss as he left.

The entire room was silent, each member trying to process the information presented to them. Ruby's youthful optimism seemed crushed, her face as pained as Weiss' as she instinctively took the unconscious girls hand in her own. Yang glared at a wall, weapon still cocked and curses steadily flowing from her mouth. She looked for all the world like she was going to put a hole in something, maybe even her teammates, but for the first time in her life, Yang was helpless. All she could do was stand there and curse.

Blake shrank back onto her bed, a look of panic etched on her features and her breath coming out in sharp, painful gasps. This sounded like the White Fang, and if they were able to strike somewhere as secure as the Schnee mansion, what was keeping them safe here in Beacon.

Thus the three of them stood, no-one registering the message that came through from Ozpin. None of them noticed the sun peak in the sky and begin its steady descent towards the horizon or the swift rapping on their door. All three of them stood unwitting guards over their broken friend, unaware of the world around them as their charge slept, her dreams haunted by the sights she had seen.

**AN: Yeah, I did say it would be kinda dark. I don't know whether to continue this or not, but if I get a positive enough response I will at least try to. If I do, I doubt I'll go into much detail with some of the things, as I think even with an M rating describing torture is a bit far.**

'**Til next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I decided to do another chapter of this simply because I could. Besides, you guys seem to have liked it at least a little. I'll be honest in that I wasn't expecting anyone really to read my fics so the fact that some of you have means a lot. Anyway, here's a chapter that is best described as filler. The second chapter. Go me.**

Chapter 2

Weiss awoke to a slightly clammy sensation. Looking down, she could see her hand intertwined with another's; Ruby's. Ever so briefly, Weiss was free. For a split second before her mind started to wake up, she was that same, arrogant and uptight heiress who loved her friends despite this. But all too soon she realised what had happened and why she was lying in her bed. And it was this moment that the tears came. All the pain, all the anguish, all the rage came cascading down her face and soaking her dress from the previous day, their salty tang a reminder of her failure. A true huntress wouldn't let her family die.

The noise of Weiss' crying shook Ruby from her daze and she snapped around wide-eyed to stare at her friend. Had she not been sleep-deprived she would likely have leant forward and hugged Weiss, offering any support regardless of how little it must have seemed. But in her current state all she could do was stare, scrutinising the sobbing woman before her.

A brief memory flashed through Weiss' mind; her father was stood at the entrance to her room, his then-black hair showing the first signs of greying. A tired expression adorned his face and he stood uncomfortably, uncertain of how to address the current issue, "_Weiss dear, please try and calm yourself. Remember; a Schnee never cries"_ and although it hadn't made sense at the time, Weiss had made it her mantra in an attempt to truly understand.

She laughed bitterly through the tears. She didn't need to follow that stupid rule.

She wasn't a Schnee anymore.

Gradually the other members of her team were coming to. Blake had stopped shaking in the corner and was now heading over to Weiss' bed joining Yang who was on the way there herself. Initially, Yang wrapped her arms around Ruby ever so briefly, before sitting down next to Weiss and watching her. Normally she would try to do something, say something to comfort her crying teammate, but she couldn't. She had nothing.

When Yang and Ruby had explained to their friends about the loss of their mother many years ago, their team was nothing but supportive, trying to help even though they knew that the scars had likely healed. After all, they still had their father and other family members, and Ruby was young enough for it not to affect her too seriously, and if all else failed they had each other. Weiss' family had been brutally murdered, executed and tortured in their own home and now Weiss had nothing. As much as her team meant to her, Weiss couldn't replace her family that easily.

It would take a long time for Weiss to begin to heal the scars the previous day had left her with, and she would likely never truly recover. The manner and the suddenness of what had happened would lie within her thoughts even into old age, but they couldn't give up on her. Weiss was a strong woman, perhaps the only one of the four who could deal with something like this. And they wanted to help, wanted to tell her it would be all right. They wanted to hug her and explain that they were there for her.

But none of it would have worked.

Team RWBY remained gathered around Weiss' bed for a good number of hours, no one really registering the hunger that began clawing at their bellies or the sweat dripping down their foreheads due to the intense midday heat. It was late afternoon before anyone did anything, Yang sighing and trudging out of the room, shortly followed by her sister.

"Damn it. Damn it Ruby, why? Why did this have to happen? Why am I so helpless?" the elder girl choked out, tears slowly building in her eyes. Her sister reached over and pulled her into a hug, knowing all too well this side of Yang.

Yang was always confident, always a little brash, but when her mother died she took it hard. She blamed herself, claiming she wasn't good enough, claiming she was too weak even though they all knew she couldn't have done anything about it. All her life she was the strong one physically, able to beat things into submission if they threatened her or her family but for once she couldn't. And this scared her. She was scared that she wasn't strong enough. She was scared that her family would be hurt again. Most of all though, she was scared that she had dedicated her life to being something only to find out she was worthless, helpless. And that scared Yang more than anything else ever could.

Ruby saw this side of Yang coming through again and she did what she had done previously when her sister was this broken. She let Yang collapse into her arms, the soft sobbing and shaking of shoulders an indication that the insecurities that Yang had been hiding from herself were back to haunt her. Patiently waiting for it to subside, Ruby gently took her sister's hand and spoke softly into the mess of blonde hair obscuring her face,

"Yang, listen. There was nothing you could have done. Whoever did this knew what they were doing, and we're going to make them pay. I promise you that," Ruby's voice had hardened noticeably and there was an edge to her words as tears found their way to her eyes as well and threatened to flow down her face, "but we have to stay strong. F…for We…Weiss." She struggled out, fighting to stay in control of the situation, to support her sister when she needed it most.

A small cough drew their attention to a bespectacled man clad in green and leaning on a walking cane for support. His hazel eyes were peering from behind a mass of silver hair and he slowly approached the siblings. "Miss Rose. Miss Xiao Long. I hope you know that your team has the school's full support. Obviously there are no words to comfort you or the young Miss Schnee, but if there is anything we can do, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask."

Ozpin's voice had a calming effect on the two teens, and for a moment it looked like they would be fine. Ruby looked up at him with silver eyes stretched wide by the light, before burying her head in his suit and letting out all her tears, all her stresses into the headmaster. Slightly surprised by this he nevertheless wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a comforting hug. A second later, a mass of blonde curls obscured his vision as Yang rushed over to her sister, hugging her as well. There the three of them stood, unphased by the weird looks they were getting. It was only when Ozpin left for a meeting that the two girls were able to return to their dorm, tears dried up and emotions running wild.

Weiss had managed to move from her bed and was currently sat on a fold-up chair, eating some form of sandwich. This surprised the sisters, but a quick look from Blake silenced the unasked question lingering in their minds.

"Um, we just spoke to Ozpin, Weiss," Ruby began slowly, trying to gauge her friend's reaction. When she got none she hesitantly continued, "He says the school are here to support us all. If there's anything you need then all we need to do is ask."

It is a rare day when Weiss Schnee smiles, and it seemed completely alien given the current circumstances, but there she was, a slight smile touching her alarmingly pale face, "Thank you Ruby." She whispered, looking straight at the teen. But whilst her mouth may have been smiling, Ruby glanced into her eyes and caught a glimpse of the anguish hidden there. She almost began crying for her teammate again when Blake approached the sisters.

"Listen you two, I've had an idea. We can safely assume that whoever did this will be after Weiss next, so I think we need to have her under lock and key here in Beacon. There isn't a single place in the whole of Remnant where I think she would be safer." Two quick nods were all that Blake needed and she swiftly continued, "I think this is the work of the White Fang. Sure the Schnee's had other enemies but none that would go this far. None that would execute them like this."

Ruby and Yang began slowly backing away from Blake and it took her a moment to realise why. In her hands, unsheathed, was Gambol Shroud in scimitar and scabbard form. Slightly alarmed by this Blake quickly put her weapon away and sent an apologetic glance towards her teammates, hoping to reassure them that she had no intention of killing them.

"Anyway, I got in touch with an old friend from the White Fang, I'm hoping that they can at least point us in the right direction," thus far it was easy. Now came the harder part, "I think that, I think one of us should stay behind with Weiss."

Blake's sigh was evident, and they knew she was right. In her current state, Weiss would need to keep busy if only to avoid thinking on what had happened, and having a teammate, a friend there with her would help hugely. The unasked question was who. Blake was pretty much excused, as it was her contact and she knew more about the White Fang and their methods than the others, and that left Ruby and Yang, both of them in emotional turmoil and neither of them really fit to watch their friend.

With a heavy heart, if only because she wanted to personally find and bring down whoever had done all of this, Ruby spoke up; managing a small smile "I'll do it. I'll stay here with her and make sure she's safe."

Nodding at her decision, Blake hugged the younger girl before going over to say bye to Weiss. Yang looked down at her sister, seeing how much she had grown and how well she was handling this. Choking back another sob she quickly pulled Ruby in close, not wanting to let go for fear of losing her.

"Come back safe Yang. Please. I want you to promise me you'll come back safe," she pleaded, eyes brimming with tears at the prospect of never seeing her sister again. Said girl was quick to reassure her, hugging her even tighter.

"I promise Ruby. I promise I'll come home safe. Besides, Blake's looking out for me! There's no way anything can stop the two of us!" she said with bravado she didn't feel. Nevertheless it seemed enough for Ruby and she let go of her sister and slowly made her way over to the heire- ex-heiress.

Watching her go, Yang felt a surge of pride, and almost rushed over to hug her again when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking into Blake's eyes she saw only fury and pain, and she understood. Activating Ember Celica the two of them left their shattered companions and headed out the door, intent on finding whoever did this as soon as possible, if only to give Weiss closure.

The last thing said girl heard was a determined muttering from Ruby, "Go get 'em Yang. Make those bastards pay!"


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I did some more on this whilst bored last night, I'm genuinely shocked to see that so many of you are reading this and my other fic. The next chapter of ASIW is likely to be out tomorrow but if I can't get it out by then it may well be the weekend.**

**This chapter is less filler than the previous one and I'm happier with how it turned out. Of course, if you spot any mistakes or anything then feel free to contact me. I claim no ownership of RWBY or its characters.**

Chapter 3

In any other circumstance, Yang would have commented on the lovely early evening at Vale docks, the sea breeze bringing both a cooling sensation and the smell of salty air to those stood waiting. She would have mentioned that she planned on watching the sun follow its lazy path through the sky until it sank below the horizon.

Today was different. Today, Weiss was more important than a million sunsets. Yang had gone through this before, albeit not quite as extreme, and it had changed her as a person. Every time she saw Ruby get into trouble she would get flashbacks of that horrible morning, the delicate snowfall a façade that hid monsters. The foul smell of rotting flesh; likely from undigested food left by the Grimm, the warm, damp breath on the back of her neck, the shriek of pain and the snap of bones. And all she could do was watch, watch as the most important person in her life was brutally and suddenly taken away from her.

Shaking her head to clear it of thoughts that threatened to overcome her, Yang turned to her partner, querying their choice of position, "I thought you said we were supposed to meet her on the quay," she said, motioning towards the stone structure jutting out to sea within the safety of the harbour, "why are we waiting up here?"

Blake sighed; she had expected Yang to be something of a nuisance but not this quickly. Although she did have a point; they were waiting atop a warehouse with clear line of sight to the quay and an easy path to retreat along should things get too hot.

"Remember how I said that I knew this girl from the White Fang? She would never choose to meet someone as easily recognisable as me in plain view, even at the docks. When we were young we were always taught to wait within sight of the meeting place but with ample room to escape."

Yang nodded slowly, concentration etched on her brow. "But…if she was in the White Fang too, won't she be using the same tactics?"

Another sigh. "Yes, Yang. I wanted to meet her, not ambush her. Besides, we both knew we were never going to hold to the terms of the meet. I mean, first of all we were supposed to meet one on one with no guards or accomplices and yet here you are. Secondly we were agreed to come unarmed but both of us are fully armed. And thirdly, well, she's over there."

Yang shot up in surprise at Blake's last comment and almost lost her balance on the roof of the building, only righting herself after a moment of flailing her arms around. Following Blake's gaze she saw four individuals approaching, each of them clearly armed, each of them clearly faunus. Readying her weapon Yang was surprised to find a hand on her arm and a concerned look from Blake.

"We fight them only if we have to. They might be our only lead. Wait here for me." And with that the dark-haired girl casually walked towards the gathering, hand pointedly on Gambol Shroud. Yang couldn't quite hear what was being said, but more than once she saw narrowed eyes glaring at her and one of the four, presumably some sort of bodyguard, kept inching closer towards her, even though they were still over 100 feet away. Allowing herself a smirk the blonde relaxed slightly. They could take these no-good thieves, she was sure of it. She almost wished the talks would break down so she could beat them to a pulp; after yesterday she certainly wanted to crush something.

Despite a few raised voices at times and some wild gesticulation that reminded Yang of someone having a fit, she did not get her wish and Blake returned within the hour, slowly reciting something to herself to ingrain it in her memory. Yang was visibly tired and squinted at her partner, partly from exhaustion and partly due to the lack of light to see by; the sun having set during the meeting. Lazily hailing Blake she suppressed a yawn and tried to catch whatever she was whispering. Failing at that she simply resigned herself to waiting.

"Come on Yang, we need to head back." Blake yawned, clearly as tired as her partner.

"Nuh huh. I'm not heading back yet. If need be we can sleep rough, but I know I won't be able to deal with telling Weiss we haven't found anything. I can't do it Blake." Yang almost sobbed as she finished, the lack of sleep not helping her frayed emotions one bit. Blake gently took her hands and sat down on the edge of the warehouse, looking out across the darkened night.

"Yang, it's because we need to speak to her that we need to go back. If what I've been told is correct, whoever did this was careless and they've left evidence that they're too scared to remove. The police won't be able to find anything but I know what I'm doing."

"Well then let's go to the mansion!" Yang was starting to get frustrated, and she was quickly losing patience with Blake. How could she be so heartless as to inflict this on Weiss straight away? She was pulled from her thoughts by Blake's voice, barely louder than a whisper.

"Don't you think we ought to ask Weiss' permission before we start rummaging around in the remains of her home? We'll be seeing things that she hasn't, so I think we owe her at least a phonecall."

Numbly shaking her head, Yang cursed herself for being so insensitive. Of course Blake was looking out for the rest of them; of course she was trying to help. And here she was, raising her voice and doubting her partner, thinking only of herself. How dare she be like this?

Yang continued to beat herself up mentally as Blake got out her scroll, steadying her hands lest she drop it, and prepared for a very difficult call.

Ruby had dealt with many challenges during her time as a leader but this was by far her greatest. Weiss was alternating between sitting in complete silence and hurrying around trying to find something to do, anything to distract her from her thoughts. They had no classes; Ozpin had assured her of that, and Ruby was simply doing her best not to get in Weiss' way. Thus they stayed, an unusual peace filling the room in sharp contrast to the turmoil in their heads, and Ruby knew that at some point Weiss was going to snap. Sure enough, it was about lunchtime when Weiss broke down again.

Ruby had just finished tinkering with Crescent Rose and was beginning to reassemble her weapon when she saw Weiss slump down on her bed, tears once more pouring down her face. Sighing in sympathy the team leader approached the quivering girl and gently laid a hand on her shoulder, only to have it yanked away, Weiss turning her back on her friend.

"Weiss? Weiss, are you ok?" The second Ruby said this she cringed; of course Weiss wasn't okay, no one would be after what had happened. Still, it had the desired effect and a desperately pale face peered out from snow-white hair to stare desperately into her eyes.

"R…Ruby? Don't look at me. Please, p…please don't look at me," she choked out, weakly grabbing her partners arm nevertheless. Ruby looked down at the shadow of her teammate that was sat before her; all the confidence, the bravado, the arrogance that made Weiss, well, _Weiss_. All that was gone, leaving only a scared, broken little girl, alone for the first time and unsure what was happening. Gazing at her partner with only pity in her eyes, Ruby gently hugged Weiss to her chest, the older girl crying silently into her shoulder.

"Prom…promise me you won't ha...hate me," Ruby was taken aback by this; of course she wouldn't hate Weiss! Whispering softly into her partner's ear she reassured her that she would never, ever feel that way about her. This seemed to be sufficient as Weiss slowly pushed away from Ruby and dried her tear-stained face, the sobbing reduced to gentle shudders now.

"It's just, now with my family… with what happened to my family I have so many regrets. I never actually told my father I loved him, always that he was the best father I could wish for, or that he was one of the kindest men I knew," Ruby nodded along, even though she was pretty certain at least some of this was a lie. Weiss had always been distant regarding her father and she certainly didn't seem the type to give false praise to anyone. Still, Ruby daren't interrupt, "And now, I'll never have the chance to tell him I loved him. Mother too. I asked her if she would teach me someday how to do embroidery. It sounds stupid now, but that can never happen."

Weiss took her time over what she was saying next, taking a sharp inhale of air in a vain attempt to stifle a sob. Seeing this, Ruby ghosted her hand over Weiss' own to reassure the broken girl. "And the worst part? The worst part is, a bit of me feels relieved. Relieved that I no longer have to live up to the Schnee name," by now Weiss was crying again and her brittle voice was hoarse and fragile, "I feel glad, ha…happy even, that my parents died." With this she collapsed and would have hit the floor had Ruby not sprung into action, catching her teammate and holding her close, whispering soothing thoughts as much for herself as for Weiss.

She knew Weiss didn't mean that. No one could truly be glad at the death of their parents but Weiss was still blaming herself for what happened, trying to rationalise something that simply couldn't be rationalised, at least not yet. Maybe Weiss did value the freedom she now had, but that did not mean that she was glad her parents died, she just wasn't thinking straight. Ruby kept convincing herself that everything would be ok, denying the very real possibility that Weiss would be left like this for the rest of her life. She was about to get up and lay her sleeping beauty to bed when the harsh buzzing of her scroll echoed through the room.

**AN: I'm not a big fan of putting notes at both the beginning and the end of a chapter but I felt this was important. There are certainly tones of romance in this chapter, albeit not strong ones, and I was wondering whether or not to put anything in. I have decided it's best if I don't do so because I know my limits as a writer and I think I'd ruin the story if I tried to do both. Sorry to disappoint.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Welcome to the fourth chapter of Understanding Why. I'm glad I did more than just one chapter of this, but I'm not entirely sure where to go from here. Like always, I'm open to suggestions so if you have anything to say then please let me know. Once again, not much happens here so for that I apologise. I claim no ownership of RWBY or its characters.**

Chapter 4

Yang had managed to persuade Blake to let her handle the call, and they had both agreed to ring Ruby who could put Weiss on if she was up to it. Despite all this planning, Yang felt incredibly apprehensive about talking to Ruby, wanting to have something she could say to cheer her little sister up. But once again she had nothing. Yang must've clicked the call button subconsciously, because she was jerked back to reality by the dialling tone of her scroll. Muttering to herself, she was somewhat surprised to hear a good deal of shuffling in the background before finally Ruby's voice answered.

"Hello? Yang, is that you? What happened? Is everything alright? Oh no, I knew I shouldn't have let you go alone! Is it Blake? It's Blake isn't it? They've got Blake! How did this happen? How?"

Had she been able, Yang would have interrupted the barrage of self-depreciating questions, but she was in shock as to how alert her sister was. Honestly, Yang herself was shattered and even the thought of looking after Weiss in her current state made her feel even more so. Supressing a yawn Yang cut through the chatter coming from her sister, who by this point was theorising who had taken Blake.

"Ruby, listen. Everything's fine, Blake's here and looking remarkably perky for this time of day. We were just wondering if we could have a word with Weiss. It's about the mansion."

Yang deliberately didn't go into too much detail, knowing that getting this call over with as soon as possible was in everyone's best interests. An audible sigh was heard through the line and Ruby took a deep breath, perhaps for the first time in the whole conversation. Ruby was taking this whole thing as hard as Weiss was, Yang thought, and she made a mental note to speak to her about it when the wounds weren't so open.

"Really? Oh thank god, don't scare me like that Yang! I don't think I can take any more of this! Anyway, you said you wanted to speak to Weiss? She's, erm, she's fine but she just passed out. Is it anything I can deal with?"

"Not really sis, not really. Listen, when she comes round, tell her we're going to the Schnee mansion. I know it might be hard for her to deal with, but if there's anyone who can truly help her I know it's you. Stay strong Rubes." As Yang hung up, she could practically feel Blake's eyes glaring at her but she put that thought aside for now, knowing that she couldn't rectify her mistake that easily.

"I'm sorry Blake, but Ruby said Weiss had passed out. I didn't want to bring her round before she's ready, not after all that's happened." This seemed enough to placate Blake for now, and her intense gaze lifted from the blonde and looked out over Vale. They had found an alley running between some of the warehouses that was only accessible from above, and so Blake had made the decision for them to sleep there that night. Whilst she sorely wanted to get to the mansion and get it over with, she knew that Yang would be unable to help much in the darkness that currently enveloped the world like a thick, stifling blanket. Thus, tonight they rested.

The partners were currently sat perched on the edge of an abandoned warehouse, legs dangling over the side and arms resting behind them as they enjoyed the cooling breeze drifting inland from the sea. They would have to settle soon, but Blake was enjoying the view and Yang was happy to stay by her teammate and make idle talk. Although they didn't realise it, this time was some of the most precious in their life. A moment where they could just enjoy the beauty all around them despite the atrocities they had to deal with. A moment where there was no such thing as the White Fang or Roman Torchwick or any of the creatures of Grimm. A moment of peace.

When Weiss woke up, it was to the sight of Ruby sat at her side, Crescent Rose held loosely in her arms. Every so often she would glance up at a sudden noise, but even from here Weiss could see how tired she was. She wouldn't be surprised if Ruby hadn't slept one bit that night, constantly standing guard over her.

Struggling slightly to get up, Weiss propped herself up on her elbows and gazed at her friend and teammate. Her hair, dishevelled as it was, formed a crude halo around the younger girl, and for a brief second Weiss felt safe in her presence. That feeling quickly evaporated as she remembered the catastrophic turn her life had made but a few days ago. Deciding it was time to alert her guardian, Weiss gently nudged Ruby's shoulder to get her attention. Silver eyes laced with concern gazed down at her, the lack of sleep evident from the redness, and Weiss allowed herself a small smile, if only to reassure her teammate.

"Morning Ruby. Did you sleep at all last night?" she asked, knowing full well the answer, "Forgive me but you look terrible." Ruby looked down at this, clearly ashamed at being caught but a soft hand raised her chin so she was looking straight at clear blue eyes. "Ruby, you need some sleep. I'll be fine for a few hours whilst you get the rest you need."

She didn't realise it, but Weiss' voice had regained a bit of the confidence she was known for, although it still sounded fragile and brittle. Her brain had begun the long and painful process of rationalising and compartmentalising the things she saw and the consequences of that. It wouldn't be easy, and at the moment it seemed like Weiss could slip back into despair with but a single trigger, but she was on the mend. And Ruby had to cling on to that, had to hope that even though this would be the most difficult thing she ever did, Weiss would pull through. Because if she couldn't believe in Weiss, what else was there for her to do?

Remembering the conversation with her sister a few hours ago, Ruby quickly refocused and instinctively grabbed Weiss' hands with her own. Taking a deep breath she began, "Weiss, I know this might be difficult for you to hear but you need to know. Yang called a while back, it seems their lead was a good one. All they have to do now is go to, got to your house."

Ruby tailed off towards the end, guessing that Weiss would likely not want to relive the horrifying memories of that dreadful, dreadful day. For a split second Weiss' face was distorted by anguish and sorrow and pain, and Ruby could feel the regret and the tears pushing at her eyes, but that moment passed and Weiss swallowed thickly, able to force a smile and a slight nod.

"Thank you for telling me Ruby." Her voice was strained and the slight shaking of her shoulders combined with a small whimper that escaped her mouth were evidence enough for Ruby that Weiss was close to cracking again. Thinking quickly, she gently rested her hand on Weiss' shoulder, steadying the shaking and providing the stability that was sorely needed.

A sudden buzzing drew their attention, and Weiss looked to her pocket, retrieving her scroll. Frowning slightly she opened it to receive the call, and her frown deepened as she saw who it was from. Ruby couldn't make out the name, but the voice drifting through the speakers made her instinctively think of a thieving businessman.

"Good morning Miss Schnee, I am calling on behalf of the board. We would like to express our deepest sympathies at what has happened, and we can only hope that you are doing well otherwise." The man's voice reminded Ruby of syrup, and she could feel herself getting overwhelmed by it, even through the scroll. The deep resonance was magnified by the room, and Ruby wasn't sure whether she would be able to deal with a conversation face to face with this person. A quick glance at Weiss revealed she wasn't affected thus, but she was still frowning and gripping her scroll so tightly Ruby feared it would break.

"That being said, we do have matters of business to attend to. Your father was the majority shareholder in The Schnee Dust Company, and without a written will those shares pass on to you. Obviously," Ruby noted that he over-emphasised the O,"I wouldn't dream of telling you what to do, but the board are happy to make suggestions and even carry out the sale of such shares, with your informed consent of course."

Ruby had decided she definitely didn't trust this man. Everything about him made her want to confess to him, as though he would somehow be able to make things right. Even Weiss seemed to be succumbing, her shoulders slumped and her breath calmed. She knew exactly what was happening: there'd be a drop in share price with the death of Weiss' father, and this man, this scheming member of the board was trying to get the shares that were rightfully Weiss' as his own, preferably on the cheap.

How dare he? How dare he try and manipulate Weiss like that, when she was at her most vulnerable as well? Ruby felt the anger rising inside her and without thinking she grabbed the scroll out of her partner's hands.

"How dare you? You arrogant, thieving, manipulative, conniving little turd! Can't you see she's been through enough? Can't you see she doesn't deserve to have to deal with this? Let her rest, let her deal with this in her own time! You have no right to try and force her through with these things!"

Ruby hadn't realised that she was shaking but as she finished her little tirade she glanced at Weiss who was in complete shock. The pause between Ruby's outburst and the reply was suspiciously long, and she was about to speak up when he replied, the smooth tone now gone and replaced by a harsh, accusatory one.

"Miss Schnee, I was unaware you had company. You would do well to muzzle your dog. Fortunately for me at least, it is a habit of mine to record all conversations for later reference, so whoever that harlot was can expect a friendly letter from my lawyers. Back to the matter at hand; the shareholders will be expecting you to at least make a statement regarding your position within the organisation. If necessary I can do one on your behalf, but it would be best if you were to come to the company and address them. I await your reply." And with that he hung up.

Ruby looked to Weiss for a reason not to march over to the company and skin this man alive, but her friend was still in shock. Her mouth hung open in a comical fashion and her eyes were wider than she'd ever seen them. "Ruby," Weiss murmured, face barely changing as she did so, "why did you do that?"

The younger girl was about to respond but Weiss cut her off, "I've wanted to tell him that for years." She giggled, a sound rarely heard at the best of times, and Ruby wished with all her might that she could just sit there and listen to the melodic laughter escaping Weiss' mouth for all eternity, but it was not to be. She knew, as did Weiss, that this would only be the start of their problems; there was still an entire funeral to arrange, and Ruby had purposely not watched the news since the fire, worried about the reaction that the deaths would have. Despite many attempts at reconciliation, the Schnee family were an easy target to label as figures of hatred and greed. It suited their enemies to see them slandered and cast in the dirt regardless of what happened.

Trying to distance herself from these thoughts, Ruby tried to get up only to find her legs had failed her. It seemed Weiss was right; she did need some sleep and lots of it. Doing her best to supress a yawn, she pulled out her own scroll and messaged Ozpin to arrange for a new person to keep watch, and then she gracelessly rolled over onto her side, snuggling into Weiss. Said girl was surprised to say the least, but quickly relented. She felt like she needed physical contact with someone, anyone. Just something to make her feel less alone.

Weiss thought about the funeral and about how much work she would have to put in to sorting it out. Security would have to be large, if only as a reassurance for some of the more paranoid business partners. She would have to lay both of her parents to rest, possibly not knowing who was responsible or what their motives were. Weiss could only hope that Blake and Yang were able to finish their investigation so she could have a sense of closure. So she could move on with her life.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: So here's the next chapter of this, I'm really not happy with how this turned out despite three rewrites, and the ending seems cliché to me. So, sorry this one sucks. Other than that, hope you enjoy and any and all feedback is appreciated, even if it is to confirm how bad this chapter is.**

**Those of you wondering about my other story, the next chapter for that is almost done and I'm ready to upload that as soon as I get the pacing issues sorted. It's been fun writing these but I think I'll write something a bit more mundane next time. We shall see. I own nothing pertaining to this work of fiction.**

Chapter 5

Yang was never one to complain about early starts, but Blake dragging her up at the crack of dawn when both of them needed their rest sorely tempted her to do so. Grumbling about sleep this and consequences that, she checked her scroll for an ally in her upcoming whine at her partner and sure enough she found one, as the fluorescent screen read 5:37, too early by any sane person's standards.

Blake was annoyingly difficult to persuade. Yang had in the past tried her full repertoire of puns, jokes, thinly veiled threats, mild flirting and she'd even tried reasoning dammit! All of which were met by the same stare, the stare that said 'Yang, stop wasting my time and just accept you're wrong'. Still, Yang felt confident that this time she had the moral high ground, as both of the huntresses in training had needed a good amount of rest due to the recent stresses. By waking them early, Blake had denied them their rightful and vital recuperation; a move that could well endanger them in a combat situation. Surely now she had to be right? Surely Blake would relent and permit her an extra hour's sleep?

Apparently not. As Yang struggled with her mane of hair, wilder than usual and unlikely to get much better any time soon, Blake quickly drew a map of the Schnee mansion in the dirt using the scimitar form of Gambol Shroud. When she had done she quietly called over her partner, gesturing to the remarkably detailed sketch on the ground. "Ok Yang, this is what we're looking at. The actual walls aren't likely to be much of a challenge due to structural damage, but if the inside is as bad as I think, we'll have to do a lot of climbing without making much noise. We don't want the police thinking we're responsible."

Yang sleepily nodded; whilst the Vale police department weren't exactly the finest in the world, their investigation would go a lot smoother if they didn't have to deal with avoiding them constantly. It wouldn't do Weiss much good either if she heard her teammates were being questioned in connection with the fire. There was the possibility of subduing the police, and Yang looked at Blake with a questioning glance but her partner seemed to read her mind.

"Yang, there's enough going on without starting a fight where Weiss' family died. Just think about how she would react if she found out. No, we're going to have to do this stealthily. The information I was given mentioned that in some of the upstairs rooms there might be evidence unreached by both the flames and the police, so we'll start there and work our way downwards. Any issues?"

Not wanting to delay their progress, Yang tried to supress the burning question on her tongue, but it was for naught and she blurted it out without even thinking. "Why do you know the layout of the place?" The instant she said it, she knew she had made a mistake. A glimmer of panic and hurt flashed across those deep amber eyes, and Blake's grip subconsciously tightened on her sword. Quickly turning her head to avoid looking at Yang she replied in barely a low whisper, "I… I've been there once before.

"It was before the White Fang became a paramilitary and back in the days when, in principle at least, we were a peaceful organisation. A delegation of our members was asked to meet with the Schnee family at their mansion to begin talks, talks that would ultimately break down. I was tasked with looking for any hidden troops or guards on the off-chance the meeting was a trap, and whilst I didn't find any, I did get a good look at the building. This is more or less what I remember."

Blake was silent after that, seeming to purposely avoid looking at Yang. Perhaps the shadows of her past were longer than they had initially thought. Had she ever done more than take part in rallies and boycotts? Had they persuaded her to utilise her skills in less honest ways? Did she have blood on her hands? The more Yang thought about it the more uneasy she became. Sure, she had beaten people to a bloody pulp and slain many, many Grimm, but she had always stopped short of murder. It wasn't that she couldn't, more that she shouldn't. But had Blake ever stepped over that barrier and taken a life?

Her partner seemed to guess what was on her mind, and gently rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I never went so far as to kill people. I… witnessed some terrible things and did things I'm not proud of, but I wouldn't kill someone unless I had to. Fortunately that situation never arose."

This was good enough for Yang. If she couldn't trust her partner now, after all they'd been through, she doubted she ever could. Sending Blake a comforting smile, she finished manhandling her hair and slung a backpack of essentials over her shoulder. Somehow they both knew today would be challenging, and a show of companionship would go a long way towards helping them through it. All that remained to be seen was whether that would be enough.

Those who frequented the city of Vale would notice the Schnee mansion so often it would fade into the background, but on anyone's first visit it almost always draws the eye. Situated on a slight incline so as to give a better view of Vale itself, the proud white walls towered over the people below, constantly reminding them of their place. The main route out of Vale passed by it, close enough to make it noticeable but far enough away that the privacy of those staying there remains intact. A ring of dark conifers surrounded the house and grounds, shielding them from unwanted eyes and offering protection from the sea breeze. This same ring of trees was broken at one point for a majestic iron wrought gate, loving crafted by some master artisan many years ago. All in all, the impressive mansion towering over the city was one of its most definable features.

That had all changed now. Without the mighty lead roof the imposing silhouette was greatly diminished, and the gleaming white walls were stained black with soot. A gentle column of smoke steadily rose from the ruins and coiled around itself before disappearing into the ominous rain clouds lingering above.

As the two girls got closer, they saw the full extent of the damage. Whatever had removed one of the gates had done so with such force that the hinges and some masonry had been removed with it, and it lay broken on the ground across the entrance, replaced with police tape which the two girls crossed without hesitation. The volume of police traffic through here in the past day or so had stirred up a great volume of dust, and a pale yellow tinge lay across the drooping garden plants that lined the pathway in. Further evidence of the number of cars was the areas where the light stone had emerged from beneath the blackened and charred area surrounding the house, two thick lines where the tyres had been following the gentle curve of the path. Had they the time, Yang would have requested they stop and look through the ornate gardens, each separate area dedicated to a different region of Remnant, and all meticulously maintained. They did not have that luxury.

Although there was still a trail of smoke rising upwards, the fire had been extinguished, and the lone fire engine had departed leaving about half a dozen police cars parked seemingly haphazardly in front of the ruined building. None of the officers were in view, but Blake still took the approach to the mansion very slowly, indicating for Yang to do the same. Whilst sneaking wasn't exactly Yang's forte, she _was_ with one of the best in the world, and surely by following her step by step she would be fine, right?

Flawless though her logic must have seemed, to her at least, Yang was most definitely wrong. About forty yards out as they were passing along a gravel path, beneath the shelter of some dark, menacing conifers, she nudged a precariously balanced wooden trellis and watched in horror as it clattered to the ground, taking with it any surprise they may have had. Blake, who had avoided the trellis due to her smaller build, simply turned and glared at Yang, who was sure she was about to get a few choice words from her companion. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Anything Blake may have been about to say was cut off by the harsh staccato of automatic gunfire, both huntresses ducking instinctively. The unmistakeable sound of splintering wood somewhere nearby was a worrying indication that they were the ones being targeted, a theory proven correct when small pieces of foliage were sent flying from a tree barely five yards from the two of them. Judging by the angle of the shots, whoever was firing at them was doing so from somewhere near the house, but Yang doubted it was the police. They were never really of the 'shoot first' mentality.

The sound of car doors being opened and swiftly slammed shut reached them and Yang felt a sinking feeling within her stomach. She hoped with every fibre of her being that the police knew what they were doing, but when their small arms fire was met with more automatic fire she knew that was not the case. Glancing at Blake she saw her partner had reached the same conclusion; the police were outmatched and the two of them were pinned down and unable to help. A series of screams echoed across the gardens, the automatic gunfire ceasing momentarily. Quiet sobbing could be heard, and it didn't take long for the remainder of the police to be caught, Yang wincing at a strangled cry followed by a sickening crunch.

Nudging her partner to get her attention, Blake whispered in her ear, "I'm going to check around the corner, see what we're dealing with." Yang nodded quickly, and Blake crept forward, still crouched low to the ground. She racked her brain for all of the tips she had picked up during the White Fang, how to be as silent as possible when it really mattered. If she could locate their ambusher then the advantage would definitely be hers. As it was, Blake very much doubted the two of them could fight their way out of this one. More gunfire burst through the trees just behind where she was crouched and she almost let out a cry of alarm. Only her years of training prevented her from making what would have been a fatal mistake.

Blake was at the edge of the copse of trees and was preparing to sneak a look around to try and see what they were up against. Slowly inching forward she prepared herself for the upcoming fight, lowering her heart rate and focussing her mind. A gentle breath eased its way passed her lips and her eyes narrowed before closing entirely. When Blake was sure she was ready, she tightened her grip on Gambol Shroud and threw herself forward with a roll.

As soon as she made herself visible, Blake was targeted by the gunfire. It seemed to be coming from one of the downstairs windows of the house but she had to retreat back to cover before she could verify this. A bullet grazed her left arm and caused her to seethe through her teeth in pain, but she ignored it. At least they knew one possible location of their assailant.

Yang had been watching Blake with her heart in her mouth. Sure, she knew that Blake was a competent huntress and she likely knew what she was doing but it still pained her to see her teammate being shot at. Without thinking, Yang activated Ember Celica in anticipation for the upcoming fight and looked to Blake for confirmation.

Yang should have realised from the horrified look on her partner's face that something was up but she took a second too long to do so and only realised her mistake as the first of many bullets slammed into her torso. The injury seemed to confuse and intrigue Yang, her hands playing with the blood leaking from her chest even through her gauntlets. Blake had set off in a full sprint to reach her only to be gunned down herself, although judging by the uneven rise and fall of her chest she was at least alive. Yang couldn't help but feel there was something she should do, maybe something to do with Blake, but her mind was still in shock. At some point during all of this she had slipped to the floor and was now staring up into the clouds from earlier, wondering why they seemed so bright.

Anyone observing the two huntresses would know that both Yang and Blake were minutes away from death unless someone provided them with immediate medical attention, and it came as a surprise to Yang when she saw a figure looming over her, a large tan overcoat covering most of his body and one of his gloved hands held a high calibre rifle loosely. Partially due to the distance and partially due to her brain shutting down in shock from her injuries, Yang was unable to discern his face, but he knelt down next to her and spoke, his voice soft and welcoming somehow.

"You're more valuable to me alive," he seemed to sigh, "You and your filth of a comrade."

The last thing Yang saw was the butt of the rifle hurtling towards her face before everything went dark.

**AN: So that's that. I have plans for this but I don't know how much more I can write when the quality is lacking. I might take a break from this fic for a while and focus on my other one, but I'm definitely not abandoning it. We shall see.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Sorry this has taken so long; I wasn't entirely sure where to go with this, primarily due to the events in-show making a good 90% of all RWBY FanFic non-canonical. Fortunately, the muse decided to be kind, so here's chapter 6 of Understanding Why. A special shout out to Sylavian for both the review and the perfectly civil conversation via PM. Their work is better than this, so check it out if you have the time. Any and all comments and criticism are welcome. I claim no ownership of RWBY or its characters.**

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Chapter 6

Yang was wrenched awake by a sudden drop in temperature, her body involuntarily shivering. Squinting upwards, she was vaguely aware of a single bright light shining down on her face and casting the rest of the room into darkness. The first thing she was aware of was just how much pain she was in. Her chest felt like a truck had run over it and she was having serious trouble breathing. Every inhale caused a dull pain to resonate throughout her upper body, and her left temple was throbbing constantly. Instinctively she tried to reach up to feel it, only to find she couldn't. A raw feeling at her wrists told her what she feared; she was chained up. Trying her legs on the off-chance, the unmistakeable clanging of chains was heard and she was unable to move her feet more than a fraction of an inch in any direction.

Glancing around the room, Yang became aware of just how bad the situation was. She was lying on some form of table, perhaps an operating table by the look of it. The metal against her skin was cool but not cold, indicating that she had been here for a short while. Good, that was some information at least. Her arms and legs were chained at full stretch slightly away from her body, and she could feel the back of her head pressing against something that was preventing her from turning her head fully round.

"Ah, you're awake."

Yang felt a feeling of dread crawl its way up her spine, the unpleasant tingling sensation doing nothing for her already disadvantageous position. She _knew_ that voice, the soft and gentle tone wafting through the air, sounding as though it was hiding something.

"You may be pleased to know that your filth of a teammate is in the capable hands of the staff at Vale General Infirmary. I would imagine that they will have her back on her feet in no time at all, though she'll likely have to avoid trespassing and getting shot for the near future."

Getting shot… that was it! A wealth of horrifying memories came flooding back to Yang, along with the reason for her difficulty breathing. She winced at the thought, still not entirely sure what had happened. Trying to move her head as best she could, she glanced around in a vain attempt to identify where the voice was coming from.

"As for you, I had my assistant patch you up as best as possible, though I imagine the painkillers are starting to wear off now," The tone of his voice was one of casual conversation, as though this was a routine thing for him. "I apologise for shooting you by the way, it's just that was the simplest way to get you here like this."

Yang tried to reply but found her mouth dry and her throat parched. Adding to this the excruciating agony that was emanating from her chest, and Yang was unable to form any words. Although she had tried it already, she struggled against her bindings, the sharp metal edges cutting into her skin. Determination on her face, Yang pulled with all her might until she felt warm blood running down her wrists and ankles before giving up, knowing that she was never going to break out of the chains.

"That was rather foolish of you. You do realise I have no intention of harming you." There it was; that voice again. The disinterested tone he held was really starting to grate with Yang, and through her pained throat she struggled out.

"Y-you've got a funny way of showing it."

In response to this, a light laughter filled the room, reminding Yang somehow of a breeze drifting through a forest.

"Yes, yes, I take your point. I honestly didn't intend to shoot you; it was just the easiest way to get you here. Very few people can find where 'here' is, so we should have plenty of time to talk."

Yang allowed herself a slight smirk at this despite her predicament; Blake would be able to find her, Blake was _always_ able to find her. Yang honestly didn't know what she would do without her friend in black. If only Blake would hurry up about it, because her chest hurt like a _bitch_! Casting her mind back, she could only hope that Ruby hadn't heard about this. She didn't know if her little sister could cope with something like this so soon after what happened to Weiss.

"I'm sure you're expecting me to introduce myself, but I'm afraid I must keep you in the dark as it were. Some of us here do our jobs properly."

Job? Was this man getting paid for this? His methods were certainly unorthodox, and the way in which he talked and the slight accent that framed his words were an indication that he wasn't from Vale, which might indicate he was a foreign mercenary. They were becoming more and more popular now, what with the threat people faced going from Grimm to other people and terrorist groups. Grimly happy at scoring a mini-victory, Yang pressed for more information, confident that his lax attitude would prove useful to her.

"So who put you up to this? The White Fang? Can't say I blame 'em really, though I'm not really their usual target audience. Or was it someone less obvious, an ex maybe?"

Once again her sharp inhale in pain was masked by the gentle and almost hypnotic laughter that echoed slightly around the room, Yang feeling less and less certain that this person was entirely sane. There was just something about the almost child-like way in which he spoke that was deeply, deeply disturbing to Yang. The innocence that seemed to exude from him was disarming, almost causing Yang to forget trying to escape and just listen to the melodious sound of his voice. Whoever he was, he was extremely dangerous.

"My, you _are_ something of a comedian, are you not? I'm afraid that I can't tell you, like I said I do my job properly. Part of that involves not selling out my employers. I know you understand."

Yang grit her teeth; this guy was smarter than she gave him credit for. Most people were more than happy for you to indulge their ego and would spill the beans with the slightest nudge. This man was different, and for the first time in a long while, Yang felt genuinely scared.

"S-so what will happen to me?" She asked, worried.

"Well I'll carry on talking to you for a while; you'll lose consciousness in about fifteen minutes and likely stay in a semi-comatose state for a while until your friends get here and drag you to hospital."

The complete calm in his voice and lack of emotion were warning signs that she may well end up six feet under by the end of the day. Nevertheless, she pressed on, reasoning that time spent talking was time he wasn't killing her.

"People will already know I'm gone. The hospital will have alerted Beacon, and they'll have sent someone, the police will be after you and there's a member of the White Fang who knows where we are, and they'll be after you too."

Yang tried to act and talk smug in an attempt to throw him off his rhythm, but all her bravado was cast down by his following statement.

"I'm quite aware of the procedure with Beacon, and the police are about as useless as they come. As for that mutt the two of you spoke to, she's of no concern," Yang couldn't quite place it, but he seemed almost… sad? "I decided she may tell those with some form of knowledge of these things, so I skinned her."

Oh God.

Oh God. Ohgodohgodohgod. Yang's mind went into overdrive, the horror and sheer terror of what he had just casually admitted to almost caused her to vomit, and the throbbing from her temple seemed to intensify. Was he telling the truth? Had he really skinned someone? The thought of it revolted her, and instantly she thought of Blake. Maybe he was lying earlier and he'd done something like this to Blake?! Yang couldn't live with herself if she'd let that happen.

"You bastard! Blake will find you, my sister will find you! And when they do, you're going to regret everything you've ever done!" She shouted, even though her throat was still sore and it put more pressure on her chest. She coughed and spluttered as a small amount of blood found its way into her mouth once more, but still she kept on shouting.

He laughed again, cutting her off, but this time it was low and ominous, the youthful tone gone completely. Once again it sent shivers down Yang's spine, and she felt afraid.

"My dear girl, of course they will! In fact, I'm counting on it. They'll find you here unconscious and rush you to the hospital. Once you come to, you'll inform them of what happened here and the three of you will rush to the Vale tournament, just failing to stop me killing a certain General Ironwood from Atlas. His death will cause a full-scale revolt back home, and my employers will rise from the chaos ever so slightly better off. Now if you'll forgive me, I have important things to attend to."

Yang could hear the sounds of footsteps walking away and she hurled insult after insult after them until she was red in the face and her chest was in agony. Biting back tears she struggled again against her bindings but met with the same result at before, her wrists especially bad. She had failed, and innocent people had been hurt because of it. All she could do now was hope that Blake and Ruby were able to get to her in time.

* * *

Barely ten feet away, a man stood with a slight grin on his face as he watched the drugs finally kick in and Yang lose consciousness. That had gone better than he could have ever have hoped for; not only had she bought everything, she'd divulged some useful information. He had made the trail here deliberately easy to find, so that as soon as the faunus girl was able to walk she would find her partner. After taking her back to hospital, Yang would tell of the fiendish plan, and they would inform Ozpin, who would in turn inform Ironwood. He was a proud man, and he wouldn't try and hide himself away, instead flaunting himself as a challenge.

Naturally, such behaviour would call for a step up in security and as Beacon was hosting the tournament this year, they would be the ones in charge of security. Every available hand would be rushed to guard the General and all important people.

Leaving his path clear to his true target.

Weiss Schnee.

Yes, he thought, this was going to go _amazingly_…


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hey everyone, really sorry for the delays in bringing this out. As I mentioned in the AN for the latest chapter of ASIW, time is really not my friend at the moment, and a lot of this chapter ended up being done very late at night, hence the drop in quality. Because of these time constraints, I've set up a poll on my profile for you to vote on what you want me to focus my efforts on. I'm not dropping anything, but I have to be realistic, and part of that entails admitting that my work is likely to be reduced to monthly updates in the near future. Really, really sorry about that.**

**In slightly better news, I'm working with both Animewarrior12 and TheBrokenBottle on their works, you should go and check them out if you have the time.**

**I claim no ownership of RWBY or its characters. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.**

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Chapter 7

The first thing Blake saw through groggy eyes was a blur of grey. Blinking a few times to clear her vision, she became gradually aware that she was looking up into the concerned face of her headmaster. Worried she had committed some transgression, Blake opened her mouth to speak before wincing and gasping in pain, her eyes stinging as her vision began to violently swim. Patterned stars danced before her and the face looming above her faded into the background.

"Careful there Miss. Belladonna. You really need to take it easy, you're lucky to be alive."

Though she was sure Ozpin was talking normally to her, Blake could barely hear him; his voice sounding like it was coming through a tunnel, his words further obscured by a constant humming that seemed to echo around the room, rattling around her skull and causing a dull throbbing to join the buzzing. As her eyesight slowly started to right itself, Blake could feel her ears getting ready to pop. Willing them to do so, she felt like she had suddenly hit a brick wall, with wave after wave of nausea wash over her, her head unsteady enough as it was. Lurching to one side, she unceremoniously vomited all over the floor several times, her vision still blurred and swimming. By now, tears were forcing their way through her squinted, pained eyes, and a cold sweat was enveloping her body.

Shaking slightly from the exertion, Blake leaned over further only to cry out in pain through her convulsions, her right arm seemingly aflame. Instinctively retracting her arm, she screamed in agony as she felt the pull on the torn and ripped bicep.

Blake was vaguely aware of another person hurriedly entering the room, but she could barely hear anything over the humming noise that continued to resonate around her head, and her eyes were clamped shut in shock despite the tears running down her face. Someone gently lifted her shaking form back onto a bed she was apparently on, her screams now dying down to mere whimpers and the occasional cough as bile lingered in her mouth.

"I mean it. You are in a terrible state, and if you aren't careful, you may never fully recover."

Leaning back into the comforting embrace of the bed, Blake nodded weakly, her hands limp by her side. A cold sweat had formed on her pale skin and she shivered as pricks of cold penetrated her bare arms.

"I don't know how much you can remember of what happened and you seem in no fit state to tell me, so I'll start from the beginning," Ozpin began, the normally serious professor seeming strangely emotional. On occasion his voice hitched slightly, and the inflections were all over the place, "You went to explore the Schnee mansion with your partner."

Blake cast her mind back and scoured her memories for something, anything that might have happened but she came up blank. In her current state, she was struggling to stay conscious, Ozpin's words fluctuating between audible and muted, almost as though she were underwater, listening in on his conversation. After a short while, he seemed to realise she couldn't hear or understand him and he stopped talking. Her jaw quivering, Blake simply sobbed and hiccupped herself to sleep, that infernal humming continuing to echo around her head, haunting her restless dreams.

* * *

Weiss was sat cross-legged on her bed, hunched over a simple piece of parchment. Her brow was furrowed slightly, and the end of her tongue poked out between pursed lips as she tried her best to concentrate. In her left hand, she loosely held a stylised paintbrush, though it was in reality so much more. With more than a little trepidation, she slowly dipped the end ever so gently into a small glass pot, the dark liquid within swishing around with every moment of the bed it rested on. As the nib broke the surface, several small ripples spread out from the point of impact, the surface tension barely broken.

Satisfied that she'd managed to get just the right amount of ink on her brush, Weiss looked across the room to where Lie Ren was watching, seeking confirmation. With the vaguest hint of a smile, the reserved boy nodded at Weiss, signalling for her to continue. Nodding herself, more for reassurance than anything else, Weiss hesitantly lowered the brush towards the parchment. When the bristles had almost made contact she froze, seeming terrified of the paper before her.

Ren had expected this when he arrived earlier that morning. Professor Ozpin had knocked on the door of team JNPR at the crack of dawn, a heavy tone to his voice. None of them had been able to place it at first, but it almost seemed as if there was an element of sorrow mixed in with the usual reverence and respect they'd come to expect from their headmaster. Motioning for the four companions to join him, he sat down quietly on one of the beds, the team hesitating slightly before joining them. He had talked to them about a great number of things, about loyalty, about responsibility, about regret. Ren wasn't sure any of the others had picked up on it, but he had noticed just how exhausted the old man was, though he hid it quite well.

After lecturing them, Ozpin had remained silent for a short while, before speaking up once more, a renewed determination about him. He had asked, as delicately as he could, how much they knew about what had happened to Weiss, creating an uncomfortable silence in the room, the sort that sent shivers down your spine and Goosebumps along your arms. News of what had happened had spread like wildfire, speculation as to what had happened and who had done it running rife amongst the students. There were those who pointed out that none of her team had been seen since, and others who claimed it had to be the White Fang, but most of all people were just shocked. None of them knew how to tell this to Ozpin though, and the room went painfully still. When she was sure nobody else was going to answer, Pyrrha spoke up, almost fearful in her tone.

"We know, sir. We know what happened."

At this, Ozpin nodded resignedly and got up, looking at the team arrayed before him with a hint of pride in his eyes, but it was swiftly swallowed by oceans of grief.

"It is with heavy heart that I ask this of you. Beacon has maintained a reputation for years as a safe haven for student and teacher alike, and at the moment, Ms. Schnee is on school grounds. I have pledged to keep her safe and I will do all I can to do just that. Unfortunately, that means I need people willing to protect her, people willing to throw themselves in harm's way for her." He paused for breath, scanning the team once again, "I'm afraid that this is where I must ask for your help. Ms. Rose refuses to leave her partners side, but with her lack of sleep, she is in no fit state to do anything. I would ask a member of staff but they're either busy or helping with the investigation. I know you're only first year students, but it would be best if you were to help, given your relationship with the team and Ms. Schnee herself. Would you be willing to help keep her safe?"

That had been almost three hours ago, and in that time Ren had elected to help out first, fetching breakfast for three and politely knocking on team RWBY's door. Despite what Ozpin had said, Ren was still surprised when he saw the door flung open and Crescent Rose pointed at his head in sniper form. Ruby, for her part, looked atrocious, her hair greasy and lifeless, hanging limply down her face, her eyes swollen and sore from crying, the dark shadows underlining them only accentuating the tiredness of the girl. In her hands, she was struggling to hold her scythe straight, muscle spasms shooting down her arms and causing the end of the weapon to point around wildly. It had taken a lot of negotiation to allow Ruby to let him in, and almost as soon as she had done so, Ruby staggered over to Blake's bed and collapsed on it, fast asleep.

Ren chuckled slightly at the memory, quickly glancing over to the still-sleeping brunette. He had given Weiss her breakfast, ignoring her initial feeble protests, and set down on the ground before them an ornate wooden box. The craftsmanship on the panelling was superb, writhing dragons glaring out from each side, and the green silk that lined the inside lid was a perfect match to Ren's usual garb. Noticing Weiss' intrigued look, Ren had simply smiled and explained.

"It's a gift from my parents, a way of reminding me why I'm doing all this." He began, "Originally it was a tea set, but now I use it to carry something slightly more precious to me."

A ghost of a grimace found its way onto Weiss' face, and Ren silently berated himself for mentioning his family. Still, she seemed interested at the very least, and maybe having something to do would help ease the pain.

"Weiss, how much do you know about calligraphy?"

* * *

Hence why Weiss was currently sat on her bed, brush quivering slightly in her left hand as she tried once again to introduce it to the parchment, only to freeze up just before contact. She had shown a great interest in the exotic inks and rolls of paper in the box, asking in great detail about each and every part. She'd even listened intently as Ren explained the origins of the delicate art, and had been eager to get started, but it seemed that the fear dwelling within her chest was overpowering for now, rendering the frail girl motionless.

"If you want to try again later…" Ren suggested, leaving the statement unfinished. They both knew what he would have said, and he wasn't one to waste words.

"No, it's ok. I can do this." Weiss replied, speaking more to herself than her companion. Glancing over to reassure him she was ok, Weiss' gaze fell on Ruby's sleeping form and lingered there for a while. Her partner had done so much for her over the past couple of days and had asked for nothing in return. Ruby had been Weiss' rock, her shield against the outside world when she needed it the most, and as the white-haired girl stared at her friend, she found herself getting lost looking at that child-like face.

Weiss couldn't quite place it, but there was something about Ruby that was calming to her, whether it was the way her mouth was slightly open as she breathed or the gentle smile on her lips or something else entirely she did not know. A single tear made its way down her face, dampening her cheek as it did so, before falling from her chin and splashing on the parchment resting on her lap. Lowering her head with a sigh, Weiss found determination blossoming within her, a warmth spreading to her muscles and heart. She could do this, if not for herself then for Ruby.

Ren had been silently watching this, wonder sparkling in his eyes. Weiss looked so frail and helpless he feared she would break. Her skin was so pale and her clothes so white she took on an almost ethereal presence, and she seemed so brittle that even the slightest wind would shatter her, yet the fire and determination within seemed to flourish and almost overflow. Truly, Weiss was stronger than most.

She brought her hand to the parchment once again, this time making contact and flicking the brush along in one sweeping motion. She moved her hand a little fast, and a few drops of ink escaped the bristles and flew around the room, but even from Blake's bed Ren could tell she'd done quite well for her first attempt.

Almost hastily, she dipped the nub into the ink once more, rushing to make another stroke on the parchment, then another and another and another. Face still pointing downwards, Weiss blew on the finished product to help dry the ink before showing it to Ren. The parchment was crumpled at the edges, and an ever so slightly darker patch was visible from where Weiss' tear had fallen earlier, but the writing was the focus of his attention. Weiss had established a style fairly quickly, the ornamentation of her writing clear from the flicks on the edges of the letters she had so intricately crafted on the page. She had only written two words, but Ren knew just how much those words meant to her.

_Ruby Rose_

He nodded slowly, a sympathetic and slightly pyrrhic smile on his face. He knew that writing that had been incredibly difficult and painful for Weiss, her heart still ripped asunder from the events of the past few days. She lowered the parchment once more and began to write again, this time working much slower, her limbs laboured and her shoulders slumped.

When she had finished her alterations, she held it up a second time for Ren to look at, and his normally stoic face was gone, replaced by one of shock and anguish. Two more words had been added beneath Ruby's name, the ink streaking slightly but still very readable.

_Weiss Rose_

Weiss turned to look at him, her voice barely a whisper and bitterness clouding her words. "I'm not a Schnee anymore. There are no Schnee's left, so I took the name of the one person who means the most to me." Tears began to slip down her face, at first one or two but they quickly became a deluge, soaking the poor girl. "M-maybe if I try to b-be Ruby, I can be strong like her."

Ren wanted to say something, anything to comfort her but he could not. There were no words he could say that would help, no actions that would alleviate the grief and suffering that Weiss was going through. He wanted to help her, wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be ok, but he knew that would be a lie. So all Ren could do was sit there, looking at the lonely, broken girl in front of him and curse himself for his inaction, for being a coward. Weiss had so many genuine reasons to cry, and he couldn't even manage to cross a room and support her when she needed it most.

They remained like that for what seemed like a long, long time, and it was only when Pyrrha came to relieve Ren of his duties that either of them moved, Ren slowly standing up and walking out of the door, his own cheeks marred by tears.


	8. AN

**Ok, so I'm sorry to be posting this instead of the next chapter, but it needs to be said.**

**At the moment, a lot of stuff's going on in my life, and it's getting really bad. Sure, I'm busy with university and everything but my health has deteriorated far too much, and it means that I'm struggling to keep going. I don't want to let these issues, which are more than just a large workload, ruin me, so I'm taking a break from this for a while. It's not an easy decision but I feel it's necessary not only for my health but for the quality of my work.**

**Sorry if you expected the next chapter, but if I'm honest almost nobody reads my work anyway.**

**Hopefully I'll be able to continue if I get better, and even if I don't I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to help me out by reading my work. When I post a new chapter and I see the occasional review, follow or favourite come through it helps make my day. So thank you once again.**

**In the meantime, I'm not sure where to go with any of my works, so if you have any suggestions then let me know. It'll probably be the difference between me dropping this account and continuing with it. You guys truly are the best, and if you haven't already I'd love it if you could go and read Experiencing New Rhythms by TheBrokenBottle: it's a great story that I've helped with a bit.**

**Respectfully,**

**YellowSign.**


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